Everyone's Choosing Sides
by CreativeReading
Summary: Set post Season 3. Ward becomes a part of the team again.
1. Chapter 1

**Set post Season 3.**

* * *

"Why is he here?" Skye asked, her lip curled in disgust.

"We need him." Coulson rubbed his metalic arm. Phantom pain, they called it. Only, it didn't feel ghostly at all. It felt real. And it never went away. Simmons had offered him pills that were supposed to help, but he couldn't risk it. He had to be sharp. He had to be on point. Everyone was relying on him.

"We really, really don't. Have you forgotten . . ."

Coulson's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing. "I've forgotten nothing! Not Hand, not Morse, . . ."

"So, you're just going to let a murderer back into the fold." She crossed her arms in front of her, the anger coming off of her in waves. It was all she could do to control her powers.

"He's one of the best we've got. The world is falling to pieces around us. We can't be as choosy as we once were."

Skye shook her head. "This isn't about being choosy. If he goes all psycho on us . . ."

"He won't."

She pressed forward. "If he does . . ."

"Then, we'll deal with him. I need you on board with this. Everyone's choosing sides. Things are spinning out of control. We need everyone we can on our side."

"Fine," she huffed. "But this is a bad idea. It's going to blow up in our face."

"You're probably right. But we don't have the luxury of throwing away resources at the moment."

"So, now he's a resource?" she asked incredulously.

"As long as he's useful."

"What happened to you?" Skye ground out.

"The world fell apart. We lost half of our operatives in one day. Our back is up against the wall. Look, your objections are noted. And when this all goes south, you have my permission to say, 'I told you so'."

"Thanks," she said dryly. "But it'll be a little hard to say when we're all dead."

000000

"So, Agent Ward, how was your vacation?" Simmons asked coolly as she checked his vitals.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she held the tablet that had all of his medical information. Everything checked out. Blood pressure. Heart rate. Every vital sign was optimal. He seemed no worse for wear.

She glanced over at the phalanx of armed operatives that were off to the sides. If anything happened, they were there to protect her. But, she'd seen Ward in action. If he wanted to, he could take down twice as many.

Ward sat up in the bed and gave her a brilliant smile, full of humor and goodwill.

"Tahiti . . . . it was a magical place."

* * *

 **Author's Note** \- This just planned as a one shot. However, more than once, my one shots have grown into multichapter stories. We'll see!


	2. Chapter 2

Note- This is set a year from the ending of Season 2. **It is not canon compliant with any of the comics.** There will be some spoilers for Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Ch. 2

Coulson didn't even notice her approach, an unforgivable lapse on his part. He was sitting at his desk, squinting at his laptop, staring at expense reports. Sending someone to "Tahiti" was a lot more expensive than anyone would guess. With Fitzsimmons as the head of research and development, expenditures had skyrocketed in the past year.

 _It always comes down to money, doesn't it,_ Coulson thought ruefully. Without any government funding, S.H.I.E.L.D. was limping along on hidden reserves and bank accounts that Fury had squirreled away over the years. Hellcarriers weren't cheap. Operatives didn't work for free.

Coulson still believed in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mission, even if the rest of the world was against them. He wouldn't give up the names of the enhanced individuals on his staff, no matter how many times the U.S. government pressured him, threatened him. Skye and her team were safe. They were all a family. And you don't turn your back on family.

But, loyalty had cost them. Declared a rogue institution, a terrorist organization, they were hiding out once again, operating in the shadows. All the good will that had been created when S.H.I.E.L.D. participated in the takedown of Ultron had long since dissipated.

And, Ward spending a year as the head of Hydra didn't help any. He had spent the last twelve months making their lives a living hell, opposing them at every turn, blaming them for Agent 33's death. He knew their operating procedures inside and out and it was all they could do to keep one step ahead of them.

Someone cleared their throat and Coulson looked up, embarrassed that he'd been caught unawares.

"If I were an assassin, you'd be dead right now," May said, cocking her head to the side and giving Coulson a slight smile.

"May, if you were an assassin, . . . . we'd all be dead." He sighed. "Are you here to tell me this is a bad idea, too?"

"Someone beat me to the punch?"

"Skye."

May flashed him another smile. "Well, she's not wrong."

"I know. I know. But the alternative was . . ."

"Letting him die," she supplied.

They'd found Ward over a month ago while sweeping a Hydra base. He was lying on the ground, bleeding out, his throat slit by his second-in-command who wanted Ward's position for himself. The irony was not lost on Coulson, the betrayer ending up being betrayed himself.

"I was tempted, more than I'd care to admit." To this day, he didn't know what caused him to call in the medics. If he just had waited a few more minutes, the decision would have been out of his hands. "And after we patched him up, stabilized him, we couldn't just incarcerate him. We tried that before. If he ever got out . . ." Coulson shuddered. "I can't go through another year like last year. None of us can. We won't make it. Sending him to Tahiti seemed like the only viable option."

"There's no guarantee that it'll work long term," she pointed out.

"It's been a year and Cal's fine," he countered.

"He volunteered for it. He doesn't want to remember what he did."

"Well, let's hope the same holds true for Ward," he said.

"Do the others know?"

"Yes . . . they all had the same reaction." Coulson winced when he remembered the look of betrayal on Fitz's face.

"How did Bobbi take it?"

He blew out a long breath. "Honestly, better than I thought she would. She's a trooper. She believes in the mission."

"She's also a torture victim. She has nightmares. Simmons had to prescribe her sleeping pills. And now you're forcing her to work with him," she said.

"I'm running out of good options, May. We're all stretched thin. We're all making compromises."

May crossed her arms in front of her and shook her head. "You might not like where your compromises take you."

Coulson gave her a sad smile. "Probably not."

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Author's Note- Thanks for the encouraging reviews! I may have another chapter or so to add to this story.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ch. 3**

Jemma tried to remain calm in the face of overwhelming circumstances as she reviewed Ward's medical data. She'd disagreed with Coulson, quite vehemently in fact, over what he'd wanted to do to Ward. She'd overseen Cal's mind wipe and it had been relatively straightforward. She'd just had to erase all about his former life - his wife, his child, his quest for revenge, and then create a completely new background. She'd kept his medical skills, though, redirecting them into a veterinary environment.

Ward's case was a lot trickier. If Cal's transformation was like an organ transplant, taking out a diseased body part and replacing it with a healthy one, Ward's wipe was like removing tumors. Coulson wanted his basic backstory to remain the same, the Academy, his operative skills, his initial relationship with the team. She had been instructed to manipulate certain memories and experiences, to reshape his personality. Gone was his abusive family, his twisted relationship with Garrett, his murderous betrayals, his entanglement with Hydra.

Jemma permitted herself a bitter smile. She'd promised herself, more than a year, that she'd kill Ward. And, in a way, she had. The Ward that had existed before had been removed, excised like a cancerous lump. It seemed only fitting after what he did to her and her husband.

00000

Ward looked over at Simmons as she stared at her tablet. She seemed skittish around him, avoiding all eye contact. She barely glanced at him, her fingers trembling slightly.

The operatives seemed out of place as well. He'd been hurt on a mission and taken a sabbatical to heal up. For some reason, he couldn't quite remember all the details of the assignment, but the scar at his throat was an indicator that he was lucky to be alive.

"So, will I live, doc?" Ward asked, trying to lighten the mood. The tension came off of Simmons in waves and it made him twitchier than he'd care to admit.

She gave him a practiced smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Your kind always does."

"My kind?"

Her smile broadened. "Skilled operatives."

"Oh," he replied, slightly mollified. "So, I'm free to go?"

"Yes," she said in a clipped tone.

"What's up with the babysitters?" He gestured to the armed guards staring at him.

"You were attacked and hit with an alien virus, Agent Ward. One that wiped out your memory and nearly killed you. That's why you were sent on sabbatical. To rest and recover."

"Oh . . . . that's why it's a bit Swiss cheese up there," he said, waving to his head.

"Yes," she replied. "You should expect some nightmares. Some of them might not return at all."

"Really?" The thought chilled him to the bone.

"Well, not all memories are pleasant." She sighed. "It's best to just focus on the present."

Ward hopped off of the examination table. He noted that Simmons hastily stepped back, keeping a good amount of distance between them. "Will do." He replied. "I . . . I can't remember where my bunk is," he admitted.

"Agent Garza will show you. You should rest. You'll be debriefed tomorrow."

"Thanks," he said.

Simmons hesitated for a moment. "You're welcome, Agent Ward. You just focus on getting better."

He nodded briefly and headed out of the lab, following the lead agent, a mountain of a man with a shaved head and goatee. The rest of the operatives trailed behind them, following behind them like ducklings. Ward couldn't help but notice that their hands were hovering over their weapons at all times.

They turned a corner and Ward noticed the rest of his team at the end of the hall, Coulson, May, Skye, and Fitz all staring at him, their arms crossed, their manner defensive. Something felt off, like there was a piece of the puzzle missing.

He couldn't help but stop and stare at Skye for a moment. Her hair was shorter than he'd remembered it. Perhaps she'd gotten a haircut while he was at Tahiti. For a moment, he'd experienced a flash of a memory. Holding her in his arms. Sweet words of understanding flowing from her lips. He shook his head at the errant thought. They'd never had anything more than a working relationship. He wasn't blind. She was a gorgeous woman. But, that was the extent of it.

Something else tugged at him. More a memory of a feeling than anything else. A feeling of devotion, of obsession, of longing when he looked at her. A feeling of being split open inside and having everything unravel. It was disturbing and exhilarating at the same time.

Ward swallowed hard. There was something he'd forgotten Something important. _Oh, well_ , he thought. _I'm sure it'll come back to me sooner or later_.

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 **Author's Note** \- I'm glad you enjoyed this short story. Thanks for all of the encouraging reviews. I'm going to mark it complete for the moment. I may return to it some time in the future and expand on this idea.

And, yes, I made FitzSimmons a married couple. We deserved it after the Season 2 finale.


End file.
